Pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk will partner with direct-to-consumer telemedicine company Hims & Hers to offer discounts to Novo Nordisk-made GLP-1 Wegovy.
Hims & her weight, anxiety, sexual health and other conditions provide treatments. Through partnerships, consumers can now access Novo Nordisk's direct delivery option, NovoCare Pharmacy, directly through the HIMS & HERS platform. Starting from $599 per month, consumers can be prescribed and earned HIMS & her membership. The latter includes 24/7 nursing, clinical support and nutrition guidance.
Prior to the partnership, the fee for Wegovy on the Hims & Hers platform was $1,999 per month. The $599 price is also significantly underestimated than other GLP-1s offered by Hims & Hers: It offers Ozempic for $1,799 per month, Mounjaro for $1,899 per month, and Zepbound for $1,899 per month.
This is a long-term partnership between Hims & Hers and Novo Nordisk, which will also create a “roadmap that combines Novo Nordisk’s innovative treatment with Hims & Hers’ ability to extend access to quality care”, but no additional details are provided.
“Together, we will bring more care options to more Americans and take the first step to demonstrate the pathways and appearance of receiving care,” Andrew Dudum, CEO and founder of Hims & Hers, said in a video posted on X.
The fact of the partnership between the two is noteworthy, as it was a fact shortly after the company’s dispute with her Super Bowl ad, which featured a composite GLP-1 from telemedicine companies. These are customized through compound pharmacies, including the same active ingredients found in brands such as Wegovy (Semaglutide) and are much cheaper than the brand version. And not just Hims & she offers more sophisticated GLP-1. The same goes for RO, Weightwatchers and other telemedicine companies.
In response to Hims & her commercial, Novo Nordisk posted a print ad in The New York Times and USA Today, saying, “Do you really know what to inject into your body?” The company believes that the composite GLP-1 is not FDA-approved and has not proven to be safe.
Prescriptions can be prescribed if there is a lack of FDA-approved medication, or if the FDA-approved medication is not suitable for the patient (e.g., in the case of allergies). Despite the lack of Semaglutide during Super Bowl ads, the FDA has since said it has addressed the shortage, slowing down the prescription for compound GLP-1.
Despite her partnership with Hims & her, a Novo Nordisk spokesman said the company's stance on the compound Semaglutide remained the same. The company also recently won a court victory against compounders and held on to the FDA's determination to address the injectable shortage.
“We will continue to actively challenge illegal use [active pharmaceutical ingredient] Spokesperson Jamie Bennett said in an email: “Make Wegovy say: Available through Telehealth Channels and clinically tested weight loss in their advanced pen delivery devices, this is an important step in allowing patients to get care in their own choice while helping them achieve their weight loss goals using authentic FDA-approved medications. ”
It is also worth noting that Novo Nordisk not only works with Hims & Hers to offer discounted GLP-1. It also works with other telemedicine companies RO and LIFEMD.
Photographer: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images via Get Image Group
